Loney trying to get back on track

Los Angeles (68-45) at San Francisco (61-51), 7:15 p.m. PT

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- With right-hander Joe Martinez starting for the Giants on Tuesday night, James Loney figures to be back in the lineup for the Dodgers.

However, nothing is guaranteed for Loney, who is suffering through a 1-for-20 (and 0-for-13) slump that has his average down to .282, a three-week low. Monday night was only the second game this year in which he did not appear.

"Every year I have a slump," Loney said. "More than one, probably three this year. And it's just something you have to fight through. When you're in a slump, you're in a slump. Sometimes you feel bad for a few days and then the day you feel good, you still don't find a hole. And the slump gets bigger."

Loney said his slumps usually revolve around the timing of his swing as he encounters pitchers that are mixing up the speed of their pitches.

With Loney scuffling, Matt Kemp has picked up some of the offensive slack. His three RBIs on Monday night gave him 72, one shy of Andre Ethier's club lead. Kemp leads the club with a .314 average and 132 hits and is tied with Juan Pierre with 23 stolen bases.

In the new batting order unveiled by manager Joe Torre on Monday night, Kemp was batting seventh behind Orlando Hudson, but that figures to change Tuesday night because Hudson was injured and is not expected to play in the second game of the series.

Randy Wolf gets the start for the Dodgers. He is 6-4 lifetime against the Giants and in his only start against them this year drew a no-decision.

Of course, Wolf is the master at no-decisions. He already has 13 this season, the most since Odalis Perez had 18 in 2004. Wolf needs three innings to take the team lead from Chad Billingsley, who will skip his scheduled Wednesday start with a strained hamstring.

Pitching matchupLAD: LHP Randy Wolf (5-6, 3.55 ERA)
Wolf told reporters after Thursday's no-decision against the Braves that he felt he had some of his best stuff of this season on the mound that night. He also said that fact made the four runs he gave up in seven innings a little bit frustrating. Wolf kept the Dodgers within striking distance of the Braves, and his seven innings gave the bullpen an easier night. In all, Wolf pitched well and was not hit hard except for a few specific instances. Wolf has a 3.44 ERA in his career against the Giants.

SF: RHP Joe Martinez (2-0, 5.87 ERA)
Pitching in his first Giants-Dodgers game won't rattle Martinez. After enduring the skull fractures and the concussion caused by a line drive that struck him in his forehead in the season's third game, nothing should faze the 26-year-old, who won his first Major League start last Wednesday at Houston. This will be Martinez's first AT&T Park appearance since his April mishap, so expect the crowd to be solidly behind him.

Tidbits
The July winners of Dodgers Pride awards, saluting top performances in the farm system: Triple-A Albuquerque pitcher Josh Lindblum and infielder Tony Abreu; Double-A Chattanooga pitcher James Adkins and outfielder Ramon Nivar; Class A Inland Empire pitcher Tim Sexton and outfielder Trayvon Robinson; Class A Great Lakes pitcher Nate Eovaldi and catcher Tony Delmonico; Rookie-level Ogden pitcher Steven Ames and outfielder Jerry Sands; Rookie-level Arizona Roberto Feliciano; Rookie-level Dominican pitcher Yimi Garcia and infielder Wilner Charles. ... Torre said that injured reliever Will Ohman is throwing bullpen sessions in Arizona and will work out with the club in Phoenix on Friday. He is not expected to rejoin the club until next month.